Surely eating avocado is the healthiest way to maintain your fitness, but do you know the tree itself needs protection and care to survive? Especially in the winter season, you need to look out for your baby (avocado plant) in some unique ways.
Now the question is how to take care of your avocado tree in the winter? Well, it’s completely hassle-free and easy. You just need to focus on their placement, temperature, watering, soil and some other things that we’ll describe in this write-up.
This article is a complete solution where you’ll get to know the steps along with their types and characteristics. We hope you can keep your plant alive and healthy this winter too.
Let’s dig into the detailed part then, shall we?
Types of Avocado Tree
Before we get into the care part, you must know the type of avocado tree. There’re different types, and you need to know (we assume you already know) which one you have. It’ll be easy for you then to take care more effortlessly.
Again, it’s always better to know your plant type, so if anything goes wrong, you can fix it immediately.
Well, coming to the types, there are 3 kinds of avocado trees. They are:
- Hass
Hass is mainly one of the popular avocado types which you’ll find in every grocery store. It’s a hybrid of Mexican and Guatemalan varieties. This A-type category actually produces rich, thick, bumpy-skinned and creamy fruits.
They’re sensitive to heat and need the most care while growing!
- Fuerte
Fuerte is also widely popular, just like Hass. It’s a B-type avocado tree which is also a hybrid of Mexican and Guatemalan. This type of tree produces smooth, large, thin-skinned and oval-shaped fruits.
You’ll be glad to know that Fuerte has less oil content than the Hass ones, and they’re sensitive to heat too!
- Pinkerton
Pinkerton is a Guatemalan A-type avocado tree that’s famous for its small size. The avocados here are creamy and rich, which is great for your health.
Well, it seems like every avocado tree is more or less sensitive to heat so it’s confirmed that you don’t need to take a lot of care of the plants in the winter season!
Characteristics of Avocado Tree
Now, let’s move on to the characteristics of this beautiful and healthy fruit. They include,
- The outdoor-grown avocado tree can reach 60feet height, whereas the indoor ones can be around 10feet
- Leaves of the avocado plant are 4-12 inches that are pointed and leathery
- The color of the tree turns greenish-yellow in winter to spring
- Skin of this fruit is mostly green, black or flesh to yellow
How to Care for Your Avocado Tree in the Winter?
You already know the types and characteristics so it’s time to tell you how to keep your avocado plant in great shape in the winter.
The characteristics we mentioned above are examples of perfect avocados. They don’t need fuss maintenance but you need to care of them accurately for their lush life.
Follow the below steps, and you’re all set!
● Select the Right Soil
The first and foremost thing for your avocado plant is to select the perfect and right kind of soil. If the soil is great, your tree will be good when it grows up and will be strong every season.
By good soil, we meant the loamy, well-drained and rich ones. You need to know if the soil is properly aerated and drains water perfectly. Because Soggy ones can cause root rot which we believe you don’t want.
Along with outside, you can grow an avocado plant in a pot too. In that case, you have to choose the right soil for avocado trees to flourish beautifully!
Find out a soil type that has acidic to neutral PH (between 5-7). This type of Loamy soil is ideal for your plant to survive in the winter.
Moreover, you can protect the soil by adding a surface of mulch around your tree. It can deeply help the soil to have a good amount of moisture. Also, it’ll make sure to protect the shallow root of the plant
● Place it in the Proper Light
Even if avocado trees are sensitive to heat, they still need a lot of sunshine to grow into beautiful trees. You have to put the plant in a place where they can receive 6-8 hrs of sunlight every day.
In winter, you need to take care of the lighting more. Place it in the area where there is sunshine and keep it there for some hours. They can easily tolerate partial shades which you’ll get in the winter season.
Otherwise, in summer or spring, keep it in full sun. Make sure they don’t get burned in excessive heat, though!
● Water the Plant
Next, focus on the watering part. In winter, try to water your plant when the potting mix is dried. From deep infrequent watering, the tree will survive the season, and it won’t get sick.
Besides, the roots will remain strong and deep if you maintain a good water habit. Especially, young avocado trees need more water so keep that in your mind!
● Fertilize Properly
Last but not least, fertilizing properly is very much essential. You need to feed your plant from the late winter till fall. That’ll help the tree to grow in a healthy way and it’ll give you perfect fruits!
Choosing fertilizer is also challenging but not that tough. Make sure the fertilizer has Nitrogen in it as Nitrogen is important for plant growth. Plus, you can purchase some which are designed for avocado trees. That’ll be good too!
If you follow these steps, we’re sure your avocado tree will remain healthy, strong and in good shape in the winter!
How to Make Avocado Plant More Winter Tolerant?
The above steps are extensive for taking care of your avocado tree but you need some extra tips to make it more winter tolerant.
The tips are:
- Remove the fruits from your tree before they freeze and turn into black color
- Cut some wood strips
- Wrap Christmas lights to keep the tree warm
- Try to cover it with a blanket, rug or bubble insulation. This way, the plant won’t freeze
- Water it if you see the soil is dried
- Use an umbrella to protect your avocado tree from unexpected rain
Follow these tricks, and the plant will miraculously live through the winter. And if frost becomes an issue in the winter, here’s how to protect your avocado tree from frost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are avocado trees easy to take care of?
Yes, avocado trees are extremely easy to take care of. They’re simple, low maintenance and hassle-free to grow both indoor and outdoor.
How often should I water my avocado plant?
Avocado roots can dry out soon. In the first year, you should water them 2-3 times per week. Once they grow up, they’ll need water that’s equal to two inches of rainfall.
Don’t overwater the plants, though, because that can damage the root!
Do avocado trees need full sun?
Sunlight is essential for your avocado plant. Mostly Hass avocados need a minimum of 6hours of light every day to grow stronger. Place the plant in the space where the light will hit the leaves more!
How long does it take to grow avocados?
If you want to grow a tree from fresh seed, it’ll take around 5-13 years to give you avocados. But if you want to buy a plant, within 3-4 years you’ll see your avocado babies!
How long does an avocado tree live?
Avocado trees actually have a pretty long lifespan than you imagine. They last for decades. If you plant a Hass tree, it’ll serve you forever.
You’ll be shocked to know that a Mexican wild avocado tree can live up to 400 years. Amazing, isn’t it?
Final Words
That’s it. We hope now you know how to care for your avocado tree in the winter in a most proper way. It’s not much bothersome. All you need is slight care, and boom! Your avocado tree will remain strong, effective and healthy for the whole season.
Just make sure your plants are getting proper sunlight, water, and standing in good soil and temperature.
All the best!
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